Toddler diagnosed with rare eye cancer after parents spot unusual white glow in photos

A TODDLER was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer after his parents noticed an unusual white glow in his left eye. This peculiar symptom was only visible in dim light or when taking photos with a flash.

- FIONA CALLINGHAM

Shane Stevenson, 35, and his partner, Lowri Gallagher, 30, were at their Rhondda Valley home when they spotted the white glow in their one-year-old son, Kooper’s eye.

Initially, they didn’t think much of it, but as they “kept seeing” it, concern began to grow.

Online advice suggested they take a photo of Kooper using a flash, which made the glow even more prominent.

Shane remembered: “I dismissed it at first and then noticed it myself a couple of days later - then kept seeing it.

“We Googled it and came across some advice that said to take a photo with the flash on, and the white glow in his eye was obvious then.”

Shane described the weekend as being “full of panic” as he continually searched online for guidance. Following a doctor's visit, Kooper was referred to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, near Talbot Green, for an ultrasound, which revealed a lump in his eye.

“The doctor referred us to the local hospital a couple of days later,” Shane said. “It was another scary time, not knowing what was wrong. We'd read that there could be a few other reasons for the obscured red reflex in his eye, so we tried to hold onto hope for a different diagnosis.

“After an ultrasound, they told us he had a lump in his eye and that ‘it could be serious, or it could be not as serious,’ which wasn’t overly helpful.”